The Company will be in London next week and we can expect a series of reviews so I thought I would kick things off by putting this blissfully short Press Release here.<P><B>RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY</B><P>Richard Alston Dance Company presents two London Premieres Queen Elizabeth Hall, SBC, Tuesday 20 - Friday 23 March 2001<P>Richard Alston - awarded the CBE for his services to dance in the New Year’s Honours list returns to brings his talented young company back to London from 20 - 23 March. The Company visits the Queen Elizabeth Hall to present two London premieres plus one of Alston’s biggest hits - the euphoric ROUGHCUT.<P>As ever, Alston has been inspired by music and his newest creation FEVER feeds off the restless longings of Claudio Monteverdi’s exquisite and expressive madrigals. FEVER is music of pure beauty, and dancing that is both langorous and sensual. Alongside FEVER the Company will present TREMOR, danced to Shostakovich's intensely powerful third string quartet played live by stringfactory. The evening ends with Alston’s smash hit for Rambert Dance Company, ROUGHCUT, set to Steve Reich’s shimmering New York and Electric Counterpoints played live by Roger Heaton and James Woodrow.<P>Listings Information Richard Alston Dance Company Tuesday 20- Friday 23 March 2001 Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London SE1 8XX Box Office: 020 7960 4242 Tickets: £15, £13, £11 (+ concessions)<P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited March 31, 2001).]

The first of the London critics guive their views on the Queen Elizabeth Hall performances - one ecstatic, one middling and one so-so.<P>'Why a love of music is not enough,' Ismene Brown's review fo The Independent. <P> <A HREF="Http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo=kC7N7e1p&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/22/btisme22.html" TARGET=_blank>Http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo=kC7N7e1p<BR>&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/22/btisme22.html</A> <P>'Wonderful work the reward for a vile journey,' By CLEMENT CRISP for the Financial Times<P> <A HREF="http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/articles.html?id=010322000936&query=clement+crisp" TARGET=_blank>http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/articles.html?id=010322000936&query=cleme nt+crisp</A> <P>'Can you dance to Shostakovich?' Judith Mackrell asks in The Guardian. MacMillan did rather well to Shostakovitch in 'Concerto'<P> <A HREF="Http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156865,00.html" TARGET=_blank>Http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156865,00.html</A> <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited March 25, 2001).]

Stuart--<P>I was able to see this company in London several years ago and I fell in love with the dancers and Alston's choreography!! Of all the dance I saw in London, my impressions of this company lingered longest. How I wish they would tour overseas!!

That's interesting Belinda. It certainly has an English feel to it and in his early days he was compared to Ashton and even choreographed a work for the RB. Here's another review:<P><BR>'The music man at work - Richard Alston brings two new works to London, but they don’t quite add up,' BY DEBRA CRAINE,<P> <A HREF="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,62-104573,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,62-104573,00.html</A>

Stuart--<P>I'm interested in your comment that the choreography has an "English feel" to it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to see as much Ashton choreography as I'd like to yet. What is this "English feel" you speak of? The Alston pieces I saw struck me as distinctly contemporary, sometimes even edgy, but first and foremost musical and carefully structured. What other current UK companies or choreographers might you categorize as having an "English feel"? Your analysis would be very helpful to me.

Apologies for the delay in responding Belinda.<P>I fully agree with your description of 'musical and carefully structured'. At a time when Continental dance was dominated by the exhilerating and often scary Euro-crash, Alston's work looked very different.<P>Although he uses modern dance vocabulary, in keeping with Ashton, the quintessential English choreographer, there is a love of pdd and the use of the upper body, as well as the love of music.<P>In terms of other UK choreographers, it always seems to me that there is something very English about Siobhan Davies' work which has a restraint and avoidance of wearing your heart on your sleeve that seems very English and one would be unlikely to get from a Continental choreographer.<P>

Seering Shostakovich, moving Monteverdi. And some dancing.' Jenny Gilbert in The Independent has some caveats about the two new works, but loves the revival of 'Roughcut'. <P> <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=62912" TARGET=_blank>http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=62912</A> <BR>

From the Stage Review:<P><B>RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY</B><P><BR> <P><BR><font size=1>Pari Naderi in Fever,<BR> part of the Richard Alston Dance<BR> Company's programme at the Queen <BR>Elizabeth Hall. Picture:<BR> Tristram Kenton</font><P><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Richard Alston's reputation as a choreographer rests on his ability to make dances that respond to the emotional rather than the narrative possibilities of music. His 30-minute pieces, always gorgeously lit and perfectly staged, seek out ways of exploring the music's emotional world and then use its melody, harmony and rhythm to convert that world into steps.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><A HREF="http://www2.thestage.co.uk/paper/0114/0206.shtml" TARGET=_blank><B>MORE...</B></A><BR>

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